Design Philosophy:
This award would be a recognition of my commitment to add value to society, the companies that provide solutions to do so, and serve as inspiration to the designers I mentor. Throughout my career, I always strived to do what should be done to create culturally relevant solutions while building brands, instead of what can be done due to brands’ limitations.
I am deeply passionate about addressing real-life issues, from compact restroom concepts for high-speed trains, to tackling rapid urbanization with the CITY collection and developing solutions to enhance the bathroom experience for Muslims.
I have also helped build brands across industries—from my time at Landor Associates, to helping Alstom Transport transition to a solutions provider of branded rail vehicles, helping Electrolux Group define the design languages and design key collections for their AEG, Electrolux, and Zanussi brands, and now LIXIL where I’m helping to further enhance Grohe, American Standard, and INAX brands’ recognition and awareness.
In my quest to add value, I have actively helped to build co-creation cultures within organizations and my teams through diversity and inclusion. Since 2016, this co-creation approach has been the foundation of my efforts to build LIXIL’s design function from scratch in Asia. I have also lectured at universities such as ITB in Bandung and the Hong Kong Design Institute, to increase their students’ awareness of ongoing and future challenges across landscapes, and how to build on an organization’s capabilities to address them.
I have actively supported the creation of design competitions, as platforms for upcoming creatives to gain exposure and leverage the know-how of the sponsoring organizations. Finally, I am a part of the ongoing dialogue between LIXIL brands and the creative communities, to establish partnerships in creating life-enhancing solutions and tackling today’s and tomorrow’s challenges, such as urbanization and sustainability.
